Russia Launches Surprise Military Exercise in Black Sea

Russia Launches Surprise Military Exercise in Black Sea

Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised his defense minister in the wee hours of Thursday morning last week with an order for surprise
military drills to test battle readiness in the Black Sea. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was awakened at 4:00 a.m. local time with sealed orders to
activate 7,000 troops, 36 ships, up to 20 fighter jets and helicopters and 50 pieces of artillery.

Aviation, paratroopers and special forces are involved in the exercises, which were launched immediately according to Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov,
who said “We are talking about major exercises, intended as

Unfortunately the only source in english is the one in the link above. I couldn't find anything else but I did find it in other languages. In the
other language I've read this news, talked about Turkey being very upset with Russians decision and the request to NATO to put their fleet in alert in
the same sea. I've read something few days ago when Putin asked russian troops to be ready but the order was that on the 31st of March the exercise
would be finished. So the renew of this order in the light of the latest happening with North Korea can be seen as a clear sign of what is about to
come.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised his defense minister in the wee hours of Thursday morning last week with an order for surprise
military drills to test battle readiness in the Black Sea. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was awakened at 4:00 a.m. local time with sealed orders to
activate 7,000 troops, 36 ships, up to 20 fighter jets and helicopters and 50 pieces of artillery."

I think this is just Putin's way of illustrating to some of the dimmer bulbs at the White House and Pentagon that Russia is by no means a secondary
player anymore and they're back as a force to be considered and planned for with anything happening in that part of the world.

He's busting his tail to modernize, expand and generally improve the Russian military at all levels. This proved the Black Sea fleet wasn't just
rusting at the pier, as some have assumed (and to be fair, they were for a good part of the last couple decades)

Well whatever the reason may be, I don't like the look of it and especially I don't like the smell of it. Flexing muscles or not, showing off or
not, the timing couldn't be worst for the paranoia to take off full scale.

I tend to agree with you, it isn't particularly good to see. Particularly when the Black Sea fleet is the 911 force Russia would be sending if Putin
decided he really DOES care enough about Syria to do more than drop strong warnings to back off the place. Say...if those 50,000 some Russian citizens
who are in Syria started getting themselves killed? Well, that's a whole lot closer than sending out of the North Atlantic bases to make the long
trip around.

We need to see if any Chinese observers will be present. Could be a dry run for taking the japanese islands or Taiwan. The Chinese and Russia are
becoming quite cozy and with the diversion China is orchestrating through North Korea, something is going to happen and soon.

Unless they start making demands on behalf of Assad I wouldn't
read much in it. I would like to know of all Chinese, and Russian
talks as well. That could be very telling. To much tension with
all super powers right now, this has got to be the world economy
the sharks smell blood.

Wish something would break either give me some good news, or lets break bad
Its got to be better than wondering,I feel like a child waiting in my room
for the inevitable whooping.

Has me more worried about North Korea. Putin knows about something and the big thing right now is the Korea thingy.
Maybe he's aware of a pre-empt. Probably by the west. Putin has NATOS phone..something may be brewing, but make no mistake.
This war you do not want to see. Unless you're old, you haven't seen anything like it (full blown two sided modern warfare.

No ones seen it. Not at that scale. I'm not religious, but I pray that cooler minds will prevail.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
I believe they might be preparing for a possible war in Nagorno Karabakh.
If Azerbaijan attacks NK, Armenia has a security deal with Russia.

No I doubt it. Why would they send the Navy to a place they could not get to? The Russians could just drive right into Azerbaijan. This is all about
their move with Iran now that NK is causing their planned distraction.

Dont forget the Cyprus situation. Cyprus is where a lot of Russian money is banked and the Russian prime minister has openly called the current
situation there, theft.

Cyprus is also historically a very strategic location as a launch pad for invasion into the middle east, right from the early crusades. Both
Germany/EU and Russia have strategic interests in the ME, and dont discount a secret deal between Germany and Russia over the future of Cyprus.

Secret deals between Germany and Russia also has historic precedent, usually right before they go to war.

Particularly when the Black Sea fleet is the 911 force Russia would be sending if Putin decided he really DOES care enough about Syria to do
more than drop strong warnings to back off the place.

I think you have garnered the focus of the "exercise".

Despite that Korea is the MSM / ATS focus right now , the situation in the Syrian "Zone" is the one that is moving. Recently the CiA has upped their
participation in the Syrian conflict by directly assisting insurgent and weapons transfers through Jordan.

The Patriot Missile batteries are in place.

The rebels have in fact used chemical weapons (the western Red Line).

Damascus is under direct siege now by the insurgency, which continues to receive fresh fighters and weapons.

American Military personnel have been recalled to duty but aren't saying where thy are going.

Huge distraction in the press and here about some other piss ant non threat country...

Which begs the question why Russia is just now conducting amphibious exercises in the Black Sea (which connects to the Mediterranean and their base at
Tartus on Syria's shoreline).

In my mind that is the best indicator of the real ramp up going on in the world. They would of course have more surveillance and intelligence
gathering networks than we about the buildups in the area around Syria's borders. That they chose the Black Sea to conduct exercises shows they are
readying their posture as well.

I think you're right. I disagree with the take on Korea, but that's a different thread. Everything else? I think you summed it up pretty well. I
don't quite understand why people figure the US can go around, anywhere in the world and make statements or ultimatums and we 'BETTER' be taken
seriously or else ..... Yet when Russia does the same for a client state they have a large number of nationals living and working in, folks figure
they're just kidding.

I guess it's been that long since the Soviets busted over the Afghan border and gave Carter a little reminder that when everything looks bad? It
really CAN get much worse. Kim may babble to make himself look big and bad ... Putin has the national resources and force behind his position to
simply make quiet statements and leave it for what people want to take it for. Doom on us if we take Russia as a joke. Especially when we are
basically in their own backyard, not ours at Syria.

(Reuters) - The United States sent F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea on Sunday to join military drills aimed at underscoring the U.S.
commitment to defend Seoul in the face of an intensifying campaign of threats from North Korea.
The advanced, radar-evading F-22 Raptors were deployed to Osan Air Base, the main U.S. Air Force base in South Korea, from Japan to support ongoing
bilateral exercises, the U.S. military command in South Korea said in a statement that urged North Korea to restrain itself.
"(North Korea) will achieve nothing by threats or provocations, which will only further isolate North Korea and undermine international efforts to
ensure peace and stability in Northeast Asia," the statement said. www.reuters.com...

Less than 1% of troops mobilized, less than two squadrons of planes and mere 50 artillery pieces that won't even fit into two battalions and world is
making all sorts of analysis and predictions.

If in 1990s Russian army was reduced to mere 20% of that of USSR, then in 2010s Russian army is merely 30% of Soviet power. Main difference in 90s
and 10s is now soldiers are getting paid and are not going berserk out of the hunger and starvation. Not much other difference. The general and high
officer culture to treat common soldiers like slaves and wretched beings has not yet changed.

Russian Military of today does not even have capability to mobilize 10% of its forces even at 24 hour notice.

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